Using the Ricor Intiminator in the forks, whether with stock or aftermarket springs, the ride is greatly improved. Not only do they smooth out the bumps, large & small, it is amazing how much more stable your bike/trike will feel going thru the curves. It is confidence inspiring.

There is reduced brake dive, and the front tire stays much more connected to the road, improving traction, and reducing that loose, wallowing feeling.

Full Details:

Suspension Basics: When the front wheel hits a bump, the fork compresses to let the wheel go over the bump. The spring in the fork first resists this compression, then extends the fork after the bump. But without some way to control the speed at which compression and extension (also called rebound) take place, the wheel would bounce, oscillating until the energy of hitting the bump was dissipated. In order to control wheel movement, that energy has to be damped.

In a damper rod fork (which Harley uses), that’s accomplished by forcing oil through an orifice inside the fork. But this method doesn’t work well at slow compression speeds, when the oil is moving so slowly as to provide no real damping, or at very high compression speeds, when it’s moving so fast it doesn’t move through the orifice at all, a condition called hydraulic lock, which effectively stops the fork from compressing.

The Intiminator sidesteps the limitation of damper-rod forks by taking the damper rod out of the suspension equation. This is done by using a light weight fork oil, which is so thin that it passes through the damper orifices without producing any noticeable damping effect, almost no matter what the wheel speed.

The Intiminator itself is an improvement over the fixed orifices in the damper rod. It uses a flexible shim stack (in the larger-diameter base) like those in sophisticated cartridge forks, and an inertial valve (the brass-colored part under the nut on top) that opens up a bypass for faster oil flow at high compression speeds.

At low speeds over the kinds of bumps you encounter on the street, the shims alone provide damping, controlling the flow of oil and bending to allow more through if needed.

At higher speeds the spring-loaded inertial valve takes over. It sits on a light spring, and remains closed until the wheel begins to move upward sharply; it then slides down and opens a port through the middle of the Intiminator that lets the fork oil flow freely, allowing the wheel to get up and over the bump as quickly as possible.

Under braking, which causes the front end of the bike to pitch as weight transfers onto the front wheel, the inertial valve remains closed, and the shim stack’s damping effect moderates dive. In this way the Intinimator reacts differently to wheel movement (hitting a bump) and chassis movement (hitting the brakes).

The net result is front forks with amazing compliance characteristics, approaching those of an expensive cartridge system.

When you order there are a few simple questions. Your answers give us the information needed to send you the correct Intiminators, set up for you & your bike.

When installing these Performance Valves, the fork fluid must be changed. We recommend Maxima Racing Formula Fork Fluid.

Fork fluid can be purchased locally, or you can use the option to add it to your order.

Different Intiminators use different weight fluid. If you choose to have us send you the Racing Formula Fork Fluid with your order, we will send the matching weight.

Please note:

1. These will improve your front suspension, both with the stock fork springs, or aftermarket springs. In most instances, if you use aftermarket springs, they will improve your ride even more. See Springs HERE.

2. If you are still running stock rear shocks, you can complete your suspension upgrade by replacing them with some Performance Shocks. See them HERE.

3. We have package deals for complete, front & rear, suspension upgrades, which you can see HERE.

4. To see our Complete Report on Suspension Testing and Grading of various components, Click HERE.